Testing the hypothesis, part 1.

Low maintenance self-cleaning litter box

Opportunity: According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, 25.4% of American households own a cat. There is an opportunity here to provide a product that is going to be more efficient and easier to maintain than what’s currently available in the market.

·      The what: American households with indoor cats

·      The what: They have a need for containing, cleaning and disposing of their pet’s waste

·      They why: Unlike dogs, indoor cats are usually not walked to use the bathroom. They need to have a designated spot in the house for their needs

Testing the who: The who is pretty clear in the case. It would only include people who have indoor cats. I don’t think any other groups would have a use for this product.

Testing the why: I think this situation is generally a challenge for most households that have a cat.

Testing the why: There are many different options already available in this market. While I think everyone with a cat has the need, it seems like the severity of the problem depends on the person. Some people may already have litter boxes that, in their opinion, solve the issue and work perfectly for them. My theory, however, is that most people are settling for a solution that is not necessarily ideal for them.

Interview 1

·       This interviewee has two cats and lives alone. She has a couple of traditional litter boxes that have to be cleaned out by hand. It seems like she’s fine with this solution because it’s the cheapest way to handle the waste, but they are not happy with having to constantly clean it. She does tend to keep up with it really well.

Interview 2

·       This interview was with a couple that have one cat. They have one of the traditional litter boxes that use sifting liners. They also use a crystals litter that seems to last longer and requires less. This couple has been through 3 or 4 different types of litter boxes. They seem to like what they currently have but are definitely open to trying something new. They are still not happy with the maintenance and are not doing such a good job with the upkeep.   

Interview 3

·       This interview was with a couple that have three cats. They have a self-cleaning “litter robot”. They appear to be very content with it because they don’t have to clean it as often. It seems like they did try several different products before finding the one that would work for them. They did mention that it sometimes scares the cats when it’s cleaning itself, which has caused them to sometimes “go” outside of the litter box. While this solution doesn’t seem perfect, it appears to be working for their three cats pretty efficiently. It was very expensive and so it the upkeep. The maintenance is not frequent, but they say it’s painful when you have to clean it.  

Interview 4

·       This interview was with a male that lives alone and has one cat. He has a traditional litter box. He has not tried different solutions because he doesn’t think anything else is worth the money and hassle of trying to switch. He keeps up with it as best as possible but doesn’t seem to be too concerned about it.

Interview 5

·       This interview is with another couple that has one cat. They too have a traditional litter box. They haven’t tried to change it because it seems to work well for them. They also have a particular situation because their cat is handicapped, or as they call him, a “handicat”. He’s had a serious of back surgeries, which means he can’t jump as high or as often as other cats. They need a litter box that is low to the ground and that is not enclosed.

After conducting these interviews, I still believe an opportunity exists in this market. I noticed that a lot of people are just living with what they have because they don’t want to go through the hassle of changing or because they don’t want to spend a lot of money. This means that the product would have to be relatively easy to use, but also cost-effective. I also learned that some people have cats with special needs. I’m not sure how large that population is, but it’s definitely something that I was not considering. This is something that may have to be taken into account when trying to find a solution that is going to win over a good amount of the market share.